Recent Developments in Poly(butylene terephthalate) Nanocomposites

Abstract

By comparing PBT hybrids synthesized with varying amounts of thermally stable organoclays, this study aims to investigate the intercalation of polymer chains with organoclays and improve the thermomechanical properties of poly(butylene terephthalate) (PBT) hybrids. Dodecyltriphenylphosphonium-montmorillonite (C12PPh-MMT), dodecyltriphenylphosphonium-mica (C12PPh-Mica), and alkyl ammonium-montmorillonite (NCT-MMT) organoclays were used in the fabrication of PBT hybrids through in situ intercalation polymerization. The variation of their properties with organoclay content of the polymer matrix and the draw ratio (DR) is discussed. The thermomechanical properties and morphologies of the PBT hybrid fibers were characterized using differential scanning calorimetry, thermogravimetric analysis, wide-angle X-ray diffraction, electron microscopy, and mechanical tensile properties analysis. The nanostructures of the hybrid fibers, which were determined using both scanning and transmission electron microscopy, showed that some of the clay layers were uniformly dispersed in the matrix polymer although clusters or agglomerated particles were also detected. The thermal properties of the hybrid fibers were found to be superior to those of pure PBT fibers at a DR of 1. The tensile mechanical properties of the C12PPh-MMT and NCT-MMT hybrid fibers deteriorated with increasing DR. However, the initial moduli of the C12PPh-Mica hybrid fibers slightly increased with increasing DR from 1 to 18.